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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23054680">Journey to the Middle of Nowhere, part 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buntheridon/pseuds/Buntheridon'>Buntheridon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Two Sides to Every Tale [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>World of Warcraft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Flirting, Horde War Campaign, Nathanos the negging master, Sister talk, Slow Burn, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, sharing stories, tasteless innuendo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:33:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23054680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buntheridon/pseuds/Buntheridon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The War Campaign continues and so does her attempt at waking the dead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blood elf &amp; Void elf (sisters), Nathanos Blightcaller/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Two Sides to Every Tale [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>(A high regard for Nathanos)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Journey to the Middle of Nowhere, part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There’s a tiny Easter egg in this for you, Toshi.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <em> I will spare you the details of some missions that happened before our next sea voyage together. I had to assist this orc abroad and whatnot. After that I got a summons to meet Nathanos at the ship again.  </em>
</p><p>The warlock arrives soon after the call. This time she won’t be accused of being late. The Champion of the Banshee Queen stands stiff and intimidating, seething power and his usual displeasure at the living around him. </p><p>“What we need for our plan lies within a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. The trip will take a day or two. Are you ready to depart or do you have some vital needs to satisfy before that?” </p><p>Shalaen is speechless for a moment, not believing the sass she heard was real. Had he somehow sensed what she had been doing the last time she was called here? Staring at the red eyes she sees a short flash of amusement and it warms her heart and quim ever so wonderfully. <em> What is this, is he getting relaxed around me? Perfect. </em></p><p>“I think I’m content with what I have, sir. Let us set sail.”</p><p>A goblin deckhand shows her to a small cabin. The thought of staying overnight makes her spine tingle pleasurably, the same sort of feeling she experienced in her youth every week when preparing to go to an evening party at the palace – the expectation of a night of flirting, playing and seduction. Her time as the adventuring hero has somewhat changed her predilections; the creaking, damp, decrepit ship is far from any luxuries and she realizes she doesn’t even yearn for that part of her past. What she loves is the intrigue, the riddle of the mysterious undead man, the slow and uncertain steps closer to him. </p><p>At some point she really has to take into account the possible claim their Queen has over the Blightcaller. Is their relationship merely professional these days, does his oath include the matters of the heart – or the flesh?</p><p>Shalaen finds Nathanos standing at the bow eyes on the horizon. They are sailing at a good speed aided by magic, Zuldazar a small dot behind them. Furtively she checks where everyone else is – the couple of dark rangers are at the stern, the others must be below deck. She approaches him silently but the man speaks before she opens her mouth, not turning around.</p><p>“Still a long way to go, champion. I will call you when you are needed.”</p><p>She hears the slight annoyance there but also something else, like he said that to shield himself. Her voice is a low purr when she steps beside him, an arm’s length away. “I thought I’d offer you my company to pass the time, sire.”</p><p>“The time passes regardless of what we do or don’t do. Mine is better spent undisturbed.”</p><p>“The living must feel the flow of time differently then. If I stay in my cabin I’m afraid my mind would start to wander into forbidden depths.”</p><p>“If by that you mean you are scared of swimming it’s too late to turn back now”, he grunts. Clearly he has a hunch of what she meant but he isn’t playing along – yet. She needs to correct that. She laughs easily, her silvery locks waving in the breeze.</p><p>“Oh, that’s not what I’m saying at all, my lord! I don’t mind getting myself wet.”</p><p>He turns his head towards her, eyeing her slender elven form up and down from his heights. His hands are crossed behind his back, his shoulders not as tense as they usually are. His axes are resting on his hips, the bow and a quiver full of arrows on his back, ready for any surprise attack. She keeps his gaze until their proximity affects her body once more and this time she plays coy, averting her eyes towards the horizon, inhaling deeply. She’s sure he can hear her slightly elevated pulse.</p><p><em> “Obviously”, </em> he murmurs under his breath <em> [which is clearly a figure of speech as he doesn’t need to breathe, yes I know, sis]. </em> </p><p>It seems Nathanos isn’t all that unaffected by emotions or needs as he lets on. Shalaen has started to believe the thick mental armor around him – as could be the case with all undead – might actually be there to hide vulnerability. Or at least old grief and other traumatic memories that hurt too much if let roam free.</p><p>Another surprise is that the thought doesn’t diminish her infatuation one bit. She smiles slyly watching the low waves ahead, feeling his nearness beside her as a chill of Shadow.</p><p>
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</p><p>****</p><p>
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</p><p>“Now there’s a development I didn’t see coming! Will you become a nurse for the heartbroken and lonely?”</p><p>“I would nurse his heart and other bits so well. Isn’t it obvious his loneliness is one of the reasons I approached him in the first place? I mean if he were the official king consort I’d steer clear.”</p><p>“You are getting soft. That’s so cute.”</p><p>The campfire’s flames dance when a chilling gust of wind passes them eastward. The forest in the heart of Drustvar is silent for a moment save for the never-ending caw of a cursed raven flock in the distance.</p><p>“So what if I am?”</p><p>
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</p><p>****</p><p>
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</p><p>After hours in the open sea, some time after sunset Nathanos and one of the new recruits seem satisfied with the location that to an untrained eye looks exactly like any other within hundreds of nautical miles.</p><p>“This is the spot. I should warn you, hero: this part of the ocean is going to be very deep, and very dark, and very cold. Put on the helm and test the machinery when you get to the ocean floor.” The Ranger Lord motions towards where the equipment and an instructor are waiting for her.</p><p><em> Deep, dark and cold, just how I like ‘em, </em>she smiles to herself. “I’ve never minded darkness and my fire spells will warm any chill that might touch me.”</p><p>The goblin gives her the diving helmet, tells her to always keep it on and to mind the sharks. That’s it. She glances at Nathanos who smirks from the upper part of the deck. “Try not to get eaten.”</p><p>Satisfied with that parting ceremony the warlock jumps into the chilly water and the machinery lowers her towards the ever-darkening depths. She’s going to do her damnedest with this mission to get that sulker to crack another smile.</p><p>
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</p><p>****</p><p>
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</p><p>“I was looking through these shipwrecks but that’s unimportant so I’ll skip to the next good part. Did you know there are water-breathing dragons?”</p><p>“Now there’s a play on words if ever I saw one. You would think Khadgar made that up but he was nowhere near.”</p><p>“I should hope not.”</p><p>
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</p><p>****</p><p>
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</p><p>Having found what they came here for the warlock finally reaches the surface. Under the dark night sky she swims back to the lonely ship in the middle of the vast open sea. The deck is littered with dead gryphons. When she takes her findings to Nathanos he <em> laughs in delight </em> seeing them<em>. </em>It’s the first time he actually praises her without sarcasm. </p><p>“Excellent work, Shalaen.” His deep, gravelly voice is now laced with the sound equivalent to melted chocolate and it feels like a caress down her spine. She shivers and tries to suppress it, wanting to keep some of the reins to herself. It has the opposite effect, Nathanos sees that it’s not calculated like some of her flirts and he stops, red eyes on hers. <em> This whack job seriously finds me attractive, </em>he seems to be thinking. Her cheeks flush with color and that’s a new one, and so is her next reaction – she genuinely gets annoyed by him being always so harsh that a hero has to exceed herself thrice to get acknowledged, and her still being all gooey when that happens.</p><p>Nathanos hasn’t really paid much mind to the adventurers that come and go, expectations of easy gold and prizes filling their stupid heads. This one has poked him enough to get his attention and now that she has it, her likeness to Sylvanas is somewhat harrowing. </p><p>But Sylvanas does not blush for him, not anymore.</p><p>“What happened here, a Wildhammer attack?” She asks, changing the unspoken subject.</p><p>“A minor Alliance interference while you were gone.” His eyes linger on her face but she watches the <em> items </em>she has fished up, imagining the consequences of the plan, but more than that, the consequences of her own game if her lightheartedly commenced flirting would really bear fruit. These are going to his Queen and their Warchief. What would happen to her if Sylvanas disapproved her actions?</p><p>
  <em> Fuck. Do I need to go ask his hand from her? </em>
</p><p>Nathanos’ voice is soft when he speaks again. “You’ve earned some rest, hero. Let’s set sail for Zandalar. We’ll be there by sunrise.”</p><p>
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</p><p>****</p><p>
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</p><p>“Did you just seriously add his inner voice in the story like you could read his mind? You nutcase.”</p><p>“If you let me finish you will find out that I got some… insight into his thoughts later.”</p><p>“Ohh. Damn. I think I need to find some nice shag after hearing this.”</p><p>“You totally do, sis. Ugh, and so do I. Again. Wanna hear the rest?”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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